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Toby, 2.5 years old

Toby is now two and a half (how time flies!), and it's awesome to watch him develop his own little personality. I figured I'd share a few photos, if you'll indulge me:) Above, he's riding on Alex's shoulders to brunch...
Strolling around the neighborhood with a Happy Birthday balloon (note: it was not his birthday).
Cuddling with his girlfriend. No big deal.
In toddler heaven at the Brooklyn Transit Museum.
Painting during an art class.
Feeling sheep at the Central Park Zoo.
Drinking shirtless while watching TV like a dude.
Zonked!

Toby, I love being your mama.

In other news, we're starting potty training this week! Wish us luck:)

99 comments:

I have to say I think Toby is the second cutest baby I know! :) LOL, the first has to be my stepson. Sorry, I'm biased but I just wanted to let you know that Toby's smile puts a smile on my face too. :)Good luck with potty training! :)

Aw! I just realized that I found your blog around the time you posted Toby's birth story--So I guess that means I've been reading your blog for his whole lifespan thus far. :) From what I can see, Toby is so blessed to have you as a mother!

So sweet - great photos, thanks for sharing. My son is almost 23 months (where DOES time go)... thinking about trying potty training sometime in the New Year (he just got a baby sister ...don't want too many changes)! Good luck. I am NOT looking forward to it. Diapers seem easy!

Please share potty training tips! My son is only a few months older than Toby and we've had our ups and downs with the potty. He goes about once a day on the potty and the rest in his diaper. I'm just too nervous to 100% pull the trigger on taking away the diapers!

I just want to thank you for sharing your life with your husband and this little man with all of us readers. I am the mother of one beautiful little nine month old girl and I can't even express how amazing this whole experience has been for me....learning to become a mama. I love these little peeks into the lives of other mothers like you. None of my friends have children yet so I don't have a lot of people to learn from being around. As discussed in a previous post...it's also not the easiest thing to make friends at 35 years old;) Anyhoo, thanks. The photos are sweet and brought a smile to my face.

It's like we are living parallel mama lives. My little guy turned 2.5 a few weeks ago and we are also starting potty training. We started off with a bang and he was really into it....but now, not so much. Please let us know what works for you guys. Good Luck!

Good luck with potty training! We just potty trained our two-year old a few weeks ago, right after his second birthday. My best advice is to TRUST THEM! The first two days I'd ask and ask and ask if he had to go potty every ten minutes and he started to get really annoyed and ignore me. I started to lose my patience really fast and almost gave up. But then a light bulb clicked in my head and I had one of those, "DUH!" moments.

My best advice is to take him every one or two hours. He will quickly learn to hold it and trust that you'll take him, and you'll learn to trust that he'll hold it until you do. :)

What an adorable little boy! My son is almost the exact same age and we've been working on potty training for a while. I hope to hear about your adventures (and what pt philosophy you're using) on an upcoming Motherhood Monday post!

Thanks again for sharing such adorable pics of your son! The shirtless watching tv shot was just too cute!

good luck with the potty training Joanna! i will be following you very close to see how it goes as i´ll be next (next summer), my little one is yet 20 months old...Toby reminds me my boy Liam a lot, what a cutie!xxtania.

He's so lucky. You're so lucky. Isn't it amazing how the right little soul ended up with the right mama?! You'll both be great at potty training and you have tons of support out here in cyberspace. Thanks for helping us (with older kids) look back with pride and those with younger ones look forward with joyful anticipation. Lump in my throat.

can i also say...i too love polarn o. pyret, and i just bought the pants in the second pic in adult size and they are AMAZING. so comfy. you should get them and then you can match (as i often do with my little boy...usually not even on purpose).

What a handsome little guy!My little girl Elle, I bet would love the Brooklyn Transit Museum as she is obsessed with buses. She can spot a bus miles away and literally screams in the car "Bus!" So, good thing Santa found a wooden bus that lights up and plays noises.

Good luck with the potty training. My daughter turns 2 in a few weeks so I am sure we just a few months behind.

He reminds me so much of my little boy who is only a couple of months younger. How wonderful it is to watch them grow! Good luck with the toilet training and make sure to share your tips! We've been working on it for a little while and, well, we're still working on it! ;)

This is such a sweet post. Wow, how big he's gotten. My daughter August is the same age...and I'm dying to know what you are going to do with the potty training? My daughter is getting nowhere in this department. Not sure if that is something you would post about but curious to know your thought via a comment, if you have a minute! Thank you as always for being such a thoughtful, tender and playful writer!Ginny

Be not discouraged if Toby potty trains a touch slower than his female counterparts. Each child gets it in their own time, boys especially. Knowing this bit of information eased the potty-training stress I felt with my little guy.

It's nice to hear about Toby but I wonder how he will feel when he's older, knowing his whole life has been published for millions of strangers to read about? Perhaps be a bit selective for his sake and respect his privacy.

He is just so gorgeous! A tip that has worked for me when potty training: The minute he wakes up, pick him up and put him on the potty. He will most likely be dry when he wakes up and is very likely to pee within the first few moments of being awake... be sure to catch it, it will be so rewarding for him to have this instant success and will encourage him through this whole process :)

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my heart just melted!! <3 he is the sweetest little dude! Love his expression while touching the sheep, it shows perfectly well the thrill of doing/experiencing things for the very first time. And isn't that amazing to whatch as a parent?Also love the first photo, on his dad shoulders, what a great place to be!!! With the right sweater!!! ;-)

My son is turnig 2 next saturday! I can't believe how fast these 2 years passed! Being his mom has been the most incredable and rewarding experience of my intire life!!!

This is just so adorable! Toby is such a beautiful little boy, congrats! And he looks so happy too.This is my favorite age when it comes to kids, they act like little dudes but you still look at them as cute little babies, which means they surprise and delight you constantly. My youngest nephew is the same age as Toby, he's very stubborn but also very affectionate, he makes me laugh constantly. It's amazing how, at this age, they can act so "grown up" sometimes, isn't it?Thanks for sharing*

Hi!! What a handsome little guy he's turned into!! bravo!I have a toddler of 2 y and 2 months, and since the nice weather is starting where we live we're starting potty training too!! Do you have any recomendations or guide lines?? We'd LOVE to hear! thanks again for your wonderfull posts! I like reading your blog a lot, and have followed you for a while now, keep it up! and good luck with the training! XO

tank you so much for these sweet comments! @Not your goddess, that's a GREAT tip. we'll try for first thing in the morning. @Alie, thank you!! we'll try to trust him and not ask him too many questions. and @gc, i'd love to post about it. i'm suddenly starting to wonder if we should wait until after christmas travels because it seems tricky to do this all on airplanes, long car rides, all new bathrooms, etc....is this a tough time to start? thank you again for all your comments!! xoxo joanna

@ Beth E. Why would you post something with the sole purpose of being judgmental? All children are different, and I'm sure you wouldn't feel great about having your parenting decisions questioned. Raising kids is such a personal thing, dependent on the personalities, experiences, and beliefs of the parents and child.

That is adorable. I love him watching tv shirtless, drinking his drink and then cuddling with his girlfriend. My boy will be 2.5 years next month.. it is such a joy to watch them grow and become little people.

Have you heard the old wives tale that if you measure your child when they're two-and-a-half, and then double their height, you'll have their height as an adult. My mother-in-law did it with her boys and it turned out to be pretty spot-on. I'm always curious if it's just a fluke or something true. The only problem is that you have to wait another 20 years to find out!

cutie!! Good luck with the potty training. Personally, I'd wait until after the holidays, unless he is really expressing an interest and you feel like you need to grab onto that interest quickly. Its just a tough time of year, if you are going to be traveling at all... My biggest advice is to try not to stress over it and follow his lead. Kids train when they are ready. If you stress and push too much, it just makes for a longer, stretched out nightmare! If you keep it at his readiness level and relax, it's not that hard. I have two kids- one of whom trained at 18 mo and the other at 3 1/2 years. Kids really are all very different. Each was ready to train at their respective ages and we were done very quickly with very few accidents. Boys especially tend to be older when they are ready, so just keep that in mind. My cousin once told me, "You can start at 2 and be done at 3, or you can start at 3 and be done at 3... your choice!" lol! Obviously the exact age varies by kid, but her point was great. If you start before they are ready, you are just in for a long haul. If you follow their lead, its easy and quick. In the end, either way they will get trained, and probably end up at about the same time! We started with each child by just encouraging them to sit on the potty at natural transition times, without any real expectations or pressure. So... sit first thing in the morning, before bath, before bed. Make it a part of the routines of the day.

Love these photos and your commentary! How adorable. : ) I used to be a nanny and helped potty train a few little boys. - A great positive reinforcement is a potty chart (You can find these on the internet - ones that look like trains etc!) Each time they go, they get a sticker. Once the chart is completed they get a prize! - You can do this until they are fully potty trained. My sister also had a candy jar that they got to pick out an m&m from when they went. :) Good luck!

Good luck in the potty training. I just potty trained my 3 year old nephew over the summer and he took to it very quickly, faster than his two older sisters. Just be prepared for lots of accidents and do not stress about it.

Hi Joanna,I read regularly but this particular post compelled me to comment. LOVE the pic of Toby behind the bus wheel. You seem like such a wonderful mother. Thanks for writing and sharing your beautiful life with us all, it's a real pleasure to visit your site.

love these pics! my youngest is about to turn 3. the last 6 months have been so amazing with her. having a #3 is such a treat. i can't get enough of her singing right now. so sweet. oh, and don't sweat the potty training. stay consistent and i should take 2-3 days tops! skip the pull ups and go straight to underwear. all or nothin' baby! :)